Tuesday, October 5, 2010

The Harper Government's Exploitation of Haiti Children is Beyond the Pale

When the Haiti earthquake hit, Stephen Harper was in political trouble. His self-serving prorogation was costing him at the polls, so he saw this as an opportunity to convince Canadians that he was a good guy, so we should forgive him.

However, months later we learn that the ships he sent in such a hurry arrived empty, the media was given preference over medical supplies, but only if they had their cameras to record his greatness; and that not one dime of relief money had found it's way to the beleaguered country.

And as you can see from the photo-op, the Haitians were not impressed.

Haitian orphans destined for Quebec, many of them cold and exhausted, were rerouted through Ottawa for what critics say was nothing more than a photo-op for the Harper government. The Star has learned from government documents obtained through the Access to Information Act that they were originally supposed to go Montreal and to other destinations in Canada after that.... “Most are destined to Quebec but some to other regions,” wrote Albert Deschamps, director general, Quebec region of Citizenship and Immigration Canada, on Jan. 21. “The plan is that (they) will most likely arrive at Dorval and final destination flight departing soon after.” However, when they arrived three days later — many of them carried off the Air Canada flight in blankets and wiping sleep from their eyes —— it was in Ottawa, not Montreal’s Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport. Then they were bused to points beyond, including Quebec.

“So the Harper government chose to put them through a two-hour bus ride and photo-op when they totally didn’t need to.